Heating start dates in Zurich?

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
Hi there, I have been living in CH for 6 yrs but never paid attention to when does the central heating start in autumn...

6 days ago, however, I had a baby (!) and came back home today from hospital to our cold flat and the poor baby has to be fully wrapped up to warm up the nose and hands (they said that's how to check if babys are cold).

So my question is - does anyone know when does the central heating system commence in Zurich? Or is it different for each geminder? Is there a place to check the dates? We are using an air heater ATM, but that makes dry air..

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

2
I don't think it is a date as such.

I was told that when the average daily temperature fell below a 'certain' temperature, then the system comes on.

I'm assuming that this may vary from one place to another.

Best to ask the Landlord directly rather than get speculative answers.

3
and here I thought that starting the Heater would get me dates....

4
Go tell your landlord to stop being a tight **** and turning on the damn heating - it's 5 degrees outside and you've just had a baby!

(congrats btw)

5
Congratulations on the new baby!

You may want to ask your landlord to turn on the heating anyway, irrespective of whether it's the right 'time', explaining that you have a new baby.

6
I also think that the baby is a massive draw card to put pressure on the landlord.

I don't recall when my heating was turned on last year, but I do think that it was towards the middle or end of October anyway.

Surely a few days here or there won't hurt.

If anyone complains, tell the muppets to keep the heater turned off.

If the landlord says no, you can always send a "very angry" registered letter.

( I also have to admit that I found the title "heating start dates" a little ambiguous.... I laughed and thought it was some sort of poor dating competition )

7
our heating has been on for a month already, seems to come on when the temperature hits around 12-15 or so. I noticed that now that it is even cooler out, specially at night, the temperature is higher.

I'd have no qualms about talking to the landlord about getting the heating turned on, dang, I am in my apartment with a t and that is more than enough, no need for a sweater even!

8
Lol... we think alike

9
Has anyone noticed that the "Multiple dating" thread keeps following this one in the 'New Posts' list ?

(I don't know how you computer guru's can put in the screen shot, so I had to paste it into a word doc. hope it works)

10
Great minds think alike

11
I think it's up to the landlord and not automatic (atleast not mechanically automatic in my building), mine came on around 1 October, likely because some of the neighbours complained. Also in my building I just got a payment back from the landlord because the heat cost less then budgeted in a previous year, I think they can also come back and charge more, so they shouldn't be too too cheap about it if your building does that too (since you'll end up paying eventually).

And congratulations to the OP.

12
I think it varies building to building.

In ours, I used to be the one to turn it on but handed back that responsibility when I notified the landlord the mazout was low 3 times and of course we ran out and I got the stinkeye from the neighbors for weeks afterward .

This year we had a cold snap the last few days of September and heat was off. Asked if I could just run down and turn on the boiler- sure. Door is now locked. LL said he would do it next morning... no. Call again, "it has been turned on". NO. Irate wife calls (3 small children/babies +pregnant mom in building + elderly lady), "oh, we'll start it Oct. 1st!". Penny pinching liars!

Don't be afraid to lay into them. Surely there are nice landlords out there but most seem to be tight as hell. Get that heat on!

13
There is no fixed date, but all depends on the house-administration and/or the housekeeper. And in many places, the heating automatically switches on when the temperature in an apartment or a room gets too low. I for six years in Adliswil admired the perfect heating techniques of a Mr Berntrag, a very competent housekeeper. The organisation in the sizeable block here really is good, while in the place I lived until 2002, the heating matter often was a matter of serious complaints.

14
You knew Mr Berntrag? He was a delightful fellow, wasn't he? Utterly devoted to his heating system.

I used to love the way he'd take the entire month of October off work (I never did find out what he did for a living - do you know?) and go and stand on the roof, fiddling with his homemade weather sensors, waiting for the precise moment to turn on the heating for the building.

You don't get housekeepers like that, any more, do you?

15
You are fairly close to the man . He is a retired watchmaker, now happily in his 80ies. A damned strict "house-ruler" and I was happy to get away from him, but I sometimes, when in need of assistance, clearly miss the old gentleman ! Yes, he is the sort of men getting extinct !